Solar Energy
Wind Energy
Wave Energy

Solar Energy

Link in show to 41:25-43:04


Solar Tidbits:
Compiled by Iris Peppard

1) Solar technologies use the sun's energy and light to provide heat, light, hot water, electricity, and even cooling, for homes, businesses, and industry. http://www.eere.energy.gov/news/news_detail.cfm?news_id=503

2) The typical main components of a solar home system are the solar module, an inverter, a battery, a charge controller (sometimes known as a regulator), wiring and support structure.
http://www.solarbuzz.com/Consumer/FastFacts.htm

3) According to the Department of Energy, the costs of solar photovoltaics (PV) have dropped 200 percent over the last three decades. Costs today range from 10 to 40 cents per kilowatt-hour.
www.consumerenergycenter.org/buydown/facts.html

4) California could theoretically generate all of its daytime electricity from the sun if every available commercial and industrial roof was covered with PV panels.
www.consumerenergycenter.org/buydown/facts.html

5) The PV market is worth $2 billion today, but is expected to grow to $10 billion by 2010. The annual growth rate of solar PV products has grown by 20 percent annually and is expected to double every tree years for the next 20 years.
www.consumerenergycenter.org/buydown/facts.html

6) In California, incentives from the Emerging Renewable Buy-Down Program can reduce the cost of a grid-connected system by up to 50 percent. Nationally, the Million Solar Roofs program begun by President Bill Clinton in 1997 has supported the installation of 70,000 PV systems by the end of 1999.
http://www.consumerenergycenter.org/renewable/basics/solarcells/home.html

7) An area 100 miles square of solar panels in Nevada could produce as much electricity as is used in the United States annually. http://www.greenpeaceusa.org/climate/energytext.htm

8) The earth receives more energy from the sun in just one hour than the world uses in a whole year.
http://www.solarbuzz.com/FastFactsIndustry.htm

9) Solar Energy (photovoltaic) prices have declined on average 4% per annum over the past 15 years.
http://www.solarbuzz.com/FastFactsIndustry.htm

10) A passive solar home can get 50 to 80 percent of the heat it needs from the sun.
http://lsa.colorado.edu/summarystreet/texts/solar.htm

11) Today over 1.5 million homes in the U.S. use solar heaters to heat water for their homes or swimming pools.
http://lsa.colorado.edu/summarystreet/texts/solar.htm

12) PV powers almost every satellite circling the earth
http://www.eere.energy.gov/pv/pvmenu.cgi?site=pv&idx=2&body=newsinfo.html

13) A report, Solar Energy: From Perennial Promise to Competitive Alternative, done by KPMG Consulting concludes that a $600 million dollar investment in a solarvoltaic factory would generate economies of scale that would make solar energy among the most affordable energy sources available in the world.
http://www.millionsolarroofs.com/about_qualifications/

14) Of the global demand for solar photovoltaics, over 30% is accounted for by Japan, 20% by European countries and less than 10% by the USA.
http://www.solarbuzz.com/FastFactsIndustry.htm

15) For the Fiscal Year 2001, the Japanese solar roof top program received applications for 114 Megawatts of solar from 29,389 households.
http://www.solarbuzz.com/FastFactsIndustry.htm

Information on solar-powered tractors

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What causes the wind to blow? Wind is a form of solar energy. Winds are caused by the uneven heating of the atmosphere by the sun, the irregularities of the earth's surface, and rotation of the earth. Wind flow patterns are modified by the earth's terrain, bodies of water, and vegetative cover. This wind flow, or motion energy, when "harvested" by modern wind turbines can be used to generate electricity.

When was wind energy first used? Since earliest recorded history, wind power has been used to move ships, grind grain and pump water. There is evidence that wind energy was used to propel boats along the Nile River as early as 5000 B.C. Within several centuries before Christ, simple windmills were used in China to pump water.
In the United States, millions of windmills were erected as the American West was developed during the late 19th century. Most of them were used to pump water for farms and ranches. By 1900, small electric wind systems were developed to generate direct current, but most of these units fell into disuse as inexpensive grid power was extended to rural areas during the 1930s. By 1910, wind turbine generators were producing electricity in many European countries.

How is the energy in the wind captured? Wind turbines, like aircraft propeller blades, turn in the moving air and power an electric generator which supplies an electric current. Modern wind turbines fall into two basic groups; the horizontal-axis variety, like the traditional farm windmills used for pumping water; and the vertical-axis design, like the eggbeater-style Darrieus model, named after its French inventor. Modern wind technology takes advantage of advances in materials, engineering, electronics, and aerodynamics. Wind turbines are often grouped together into a single wind power plant, also known as a wind farm, and generate bulk electrical power. Electricity from these turbines is fed into the local utility grid and distribute to customers just as it is with conventional power plants.

How big are wind turbines? Wind turbines are available in a variety of sizes, and therefore power ratings. The largest machine, such as the one built in Hawaii, has propellers that span the more than the length of a football field and stands 20 building stories high, and produces enough electricity to power 1400 homes. A small home-sized wind machine has rotors between 8 and 25 feet in diameter and stands upwards of 30 feet and can supply the power needs of an all-electric home or small business.

Are there good wind resources in the United States? Wind energy is very abundant many parts of the [ fcp://@csumb.edu,%231014507/MailBox/we_map.html ]United States. Wind resources are characterized by wind-power density classes, ranging from class 1 (the lowest) to class 7 (the highest). Good wind resources (class 3 and above) which have an average annual wind speed of at least 13 miles per hour, are found along the east coast, the Appalachian Mountain chain, the Great Plains, the Pacific Northwest, and some other locations. North Dakota, alone, has enough energy from class 4 and higher winds to supply 36% of the electricity of the lower 48 states. Of course, it would be impractical to move electricity everywhere from North Dakota. Wind speed is a critical feature of wind resources, because the energy in wind is proportional to the cube of the wind speed. In other words, a stronger wind means a lot more power.

What are the advantages of wind-generated electricity? Numerous public opinion surveys have consistently shown that the public prefers wind and other renewable energy forms over conventional sources of generation. Wind energy is a free, renewable resource, so no matter how much is used today, there will still be the same supply in the future. Wind energy is also a source of clean, non-polluting, electricity. Unlike conventional power plants, wind plants emit no air pollutants or greenhouse gases. In 1990, California's wind power plants offset the emission of more than 2.5 billion pounds of carbon dioxide, and 15 million pounds of other pollutants that would have otherwise been produced. It would take a forest of 90 million to 175 million trees to provide the same air quality.

What are the economic obstacles to greater wind power usage? Even though the cost of wind power has decreased dramatically in the past 10 years, the technology requires a higher initial investment than fossil-fueled generators. Roughly 80% of the cost is the machinery, with the balance being the site preparation and installation. If wind generating systems are compared with fossil-fueled systems on a "life-cycle" cost basis (counting fuel and operating expenses for the life of the generator), however, wind costs are much more competitive with other generating technologies because there is no fuel to purchase and minimal operating expenses.

Are there environmental problems facing wind power? Although wind power plants have relatively little impact on the environment compared to other conventional power plants, there is some concern over the noise produced by the rotor blades, aesthetic (visual) impacts, and sometimes birds have been killed by flying into the rotors. Most of these problems have been resolved or greatly reduced through technological development or by properly siting wind plants. [ http://www.nrel.gov/wind/avian.html ]Avian mortality remains an issue to be better understood and resolved.

Are there other drawbacks to the use of wind energy? The major challenge to using wind as a source of power is that it is intermittent and it does not always blow when electricity is needed. Wind cannot be stored (unless batteries are used); and not all winds can be harnessed to meet the timing of electricity demands. Further, good wind sites are often located in remote locations far from areas of electric power demand (such as cities). Finally, wind resource development may compete with other uses for the land and those alternative uses may be more highly valued than electricity generation. However, wind turbines can be located on land that is also used for grazing or even farming.

Is wind energy good for the economy? Wind energy avoids the external or societal costs associated with conventional resources, namely, the trade deficit from importing foreign oil and other fuels, the health and environmental costs of pollution, and the cost of depleted resources. Wind energy is a domestic, reliable resource that provides more jobs per dollar invested than any other energy technology--more than five times that from coal or nuclear power. In 1994, wind turbine and component manufacturers contributed directly to the economies of 44 states, creating thousands of jobs for Americans.

Why Change? By Garrett Barnicoat

Often one of the main reasons given for converting to renewable energy is motivated by decreased political dependence on foreign resources. This decreased dependence can materialize through diversification of energy sources, or even replacement of the dominant fuels of production if aggressively applied. The three main forms of energy production within the United States are coal, natural gas, and petroleum. Are all remnants of organic material and are not renewable. Secondly energy and resources must be used to transport these fuels to be processed.

Fueling the Future: A Plan to Reduce California’s Oil Dependency http://www.nrdc.org/air/transportation/calfuel/calfuel.pdf
The oil dependency case study done by the Natural Resource Defense Council gives an action plan to curb gasoline usage in California and theorizes the costs and structural planning needed to introduce hydrogen fuels into refueling stations.

Geothermal Energy:
Geothermal energy is heat radiated from the core of the Earth to its surface. The easiest location to access geothermal energy is in a location with high-temperature aquifers; otherwise known as very hot underground water. A well is driven, capped, and steam produced from the well is used to drive a turbine generator. In order to maintain the production capability of a geothermal well, additional water much be re-pumped into the aquifer. This form of energy is continually available and is quite a reliable form of energy production with very low maintenance costs. However geothermal energy is typified by high initial production costs, such as boring a well.

Energy Department of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy:
Geothermal Energy Program
http://www.eere.energy.gov/geothermal/geofaq.html

This site features an in depth question and answer section concerning many different areas involved in geothermal energy. Issues such as production, production limitations, and theoretical unit costs are covered.

Wind Energy:
Wind energy has been harnessed for hundreds of years for basic mechanical tasks. Harnessing technology has improved the capability but not its reliability. Wind in inherently inconsistent. Some maintenance is required, but many would consider the main draw back of wind power would be the visual pollution of the towers needed to harness it.

American Wind Energy Association:
Wind Energy and Energy Policy
http://www.awea.org/policy/State%20Policies
An comprehensive database of United States energy policy incentives, state policy, and economic feasibility.

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http://www.owec.com/
http://www.wavegen.co.uk/
http://www.energy.ca.gov/development/oceanenergy/
http://www.bchydro.com/environment/greenpower/greenpower1725.html
http://www.wavemill.com/
http://209.196.135.250/Trimtab/summer01/oceanWave.htm
http://www.eere.energy.gov/RE/ocean_wave.html
http://www.poemsinc.org/FAQwave.html
http://www.capital-technology.com/waves.html
http://europa.eu.int/comm/energy_transport/atlas/htmlu/wavbib.html
http://www.howtofixtheworld.org/generator.htm
http://www.anwsite.com/wavep.htm
http://www.phys.ntnu.no/instdef/prosjekter/bolgeenergi/index-e.html
http://www.fomar.org/Ponencia69.htm
http://acre.murdoch.edu.au/ago/ocean/wave.html
http://www.ece.umr.edu/links/power/Energy_Course/energy/Renewables/Wave_Energy/ssr9809.html
http://www.floatinc.com/
http://powerinc.org/
http://www.iclei.org/efacts/ocean.htm
http://www.ucc.ie/ucc/research/hmrc/SWERF/conferences/IST/Papers%20and%20Slides/Frank_~1.pdf
http://www.eduplace.com/rdg/gen_act/ocean/wave.html
http://abcnews.go.com/sections/scitech/CuttingEdge/cuttingedge010629.html
http://www.energetech.com.au/
http://www.aislingmagazine.com/Anu/articles/TAM17/Wave.html
http://www.canelect.ca/english/News2002/BCHydro66.html
http://www.phys.ntnu.no/instdef/grupper/miljofysikk/bolgeforsk/index-e.html
http://www.greenhouse.gov.au/renewable/technologies/ocean/wave.html

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www.ccities.doe.gov
www.navc.org
www.afdc.doe.gov/altfuel.html (this one has some statistics and policy/incentives info).
http://aceee.org/briefs/menu2.pdf
American Wind Energy Association
http://www.awea.org
European Wind Energy Association
http://www.ewea.org
Solar Energy Industries Association
http://www.seia.org
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
http://www.nrel.gov
DOE Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Network
http://www.eren.doe.gov

Alternative energy use outside the US
Link to 44:50-46:48

Why aren’t more energy alternatives in use in the US today? Hear from our panelists:
Link in show to 49:10-50:48

Energy Sovereignty
Energy Sovereignty can be discussed on several levels.

A nation may attempt to achieve energy sovereignty by reducing its dependence on energy sources (usually produced distributed by huge transnational corporations) in the world market.

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OILWATCH

The Eighth Conference of Parties to the Framework Convention on Climate Change
POSITION PAPER ON ENERGY SOVEREIGNTY
New Delhi - October 2002

Introduction

Oil and gas are the most frequently used sources of energy in the world. Petrochemical products - which presently number some 5 million - form the basis of globalisation and the present production and consumption model.

Hydrocarbon exports are also the most important sources of foreign income for several producing countries in the Third World.

At the same time, the extraction of oil and gas is directly responsible for the destruction of fragile ecosystems around the world, amongst which are tropical forests, mangrove swamps, coral reefs, the continental shelf, and arctic zones; the exploitation of oil has also destroyed innumerable indigenous cultures. Its consumption has put the entire planet in danger due to global-warming as well as producing health impacts in the local populations living in the oilfield zones.

The cost of energy generation based on fossil fuels has been reduced through destroying and exhausting invaluable natural resources. This has created a false picture of prosperity.

The extraction of these resources has lead to destruction, loss of sovereignty, territories destroyed, cultures decimated or vanished. The real cost of oil and gas, makes them too expensive to continue to burn.

DEVELOPMENT IS MEASURED IN BARRELS OF PETROLEUM

There is no doubt that thinking about energy, leads us to think about the sustainability of society and from there to a criticism of development.

Within the dominant paradigm, development and welfare could well be measured in barrels of oil . For example, in this context it could be said that the United States is the most developed country, consuming 20 million barrels of oil a day. On the other hand, the least developed peoples are the indigenous peoples who do not consume oil.

But this is not development, this is dependency, because one country sustains its economic model by extracting hydrocarbon resources from all corners of the world.

On the other hand, the peoples which have based their sustainability on resources they themselves control, have developed productive models that have endured throughout history without appropriating those of other populations or cultures. These are the sustainable alternatives we must support.

THE ROLE OF THE TRANSNATIONAL COMPANIES

In the process of extracting, transporting and refining oil and gas, the transnational corporations, with their monopoly tendencies have been consolidating their power and creating mechanisms to exclude other actors, and hindering the development of other, less centralised, less polluting and locally controlled energy generation alternatives.

The oil transnationals have gained access to subsidies and other government benefits. In the United States alone, oil industry subsidies surpass 5 billion dollars a year. If oil subsidies for defence are included, in 1995 subsidies came to between 15,7 - 35,2 billion U.S dollars.

The multilateral financial agencies have favoured the model based on intensive extraction of oil, and in particular the operations of transnational corporations, while structural adjustment programmes force Third World countries to privatise their oil industries. At the same time the recent Johannesburg Implementation Plan suggests the use of the cleaner solid and gaseous fossil fuels, thus strengthening the dominant energy use model.

Now that the reality of climate change is unquestionable, the world will have to initiate an energy transition towards sources of renewable energy such as solar, water, and wind power. Various transnational corporations have begun work on renewable energy, especially in the areas of research and the development of technologies.

These technologies are then patented by the companies so that , as the demand grows for this type of energy, the same corporations will exercise the same control over renewable energies they now have over fossil fuels..

ALTERNATIVE ENERGY OR ENERGY SUSTAINABILITY

The debate on energy sovereignty should not be limited to the development of alternative and renewable energy. We must rather talk of energy sovereignty, understood as the control of our energy sources, and the decentralisation and democratic access to those sources

Alternative energy technologies should therefore be proposed in a framework that contributes to the construction of sustainable social alternatives. This should be carried out with the population within an integrated process.

-Technologies should be within the reach of all sectors of society.
-The promotion of alternative technologies or energies should contribute to the construction of more democratic societies, and to a form of energy use that will keep both people and planet healthy.
-Contribute to improving people's quality of life
-Involve traditional authorities, local governments, social organisations, the universities or research centres.
-Ensure the sustainability of resources and the conservation of the environment

An essential condition for sustainability is that energy resources once again become decentralised, autonomous, diversified, and adapted to their place of origin and local needs. Therefore, this is not a matter of a technological change over to alternative energy that will leave our communities once more dependent and indebted.

ENERGY: AN ISSUE OF JUSTICE

No decision on energy can lead to social sustainability if the interest motivating these decisions is the profitability and gain of corporations; minority private interest groups or large and powerful political powers.

Energy is essential for life, it has an intimate relationship with life and with the means and strategies for the survival of the human race.

Access to energy is an issue of justice. Peoples and their communities have a right to access, in the same way that the farmers requires land and water for their livelihood. But access to energy for some must not mean the destruction of the resources of others, nor negative impacts on their lives.

It is a therefore an issue of justice that the ability to maintain their livelihood be returned to all communities who have seen their resources destroyed in the process of generating energy for others

Energy, water, and air must be guaranteed for all inhabitants of the earth. these are services, not goods subject to appropriation. Citizens are the user of these services, not the clients of companies; however, through privatisation the idea of the client has been institutionalised. and large segments of the population deprived of these services.

THE ROAD TO ENERGY SOVEREIGNTY

In order to achieve energy sovereignty its not enough to ensure access to energy, it is also imperative to be able to decide what type of energy we want and to be able to control all the processes. This involves deciding how, from where and for what purposes we have energy.

This means that sovereign states should control the sources, price and distribution of energy

To initiate the transition towards energy sovereignty we must:

1. Halt the expansion of the oil frontier. There is already a precedent of a country, Costa Rica, which has been declared oil extraction free. For their part various indigenous communities and local populations have declared their territories to be oil extraction free zones or have declared moratoriums on the extraction of these resources.

2. Stop the promotion of the oil industry by states and the multilateral agencies. Disobey the impositions of agencies such as the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, who attack energy sovereignty.

3. Eradicate the over consumption and excessive use of energy, and guarantee access to the resources necessary for the majority of the population, ensuring a dignity line, signifying the minimum necessary consumption, so all may lead a decent life.

4. Stop depending on oil as a source of foreign income which is normally used for the payment of an illegitimate foreign debt, a debt which has often been accumulated for the development of the oil industry itself.

5. Recognise those fight to stop the extraction of oil resources are offering a service to the planet.

6. Penalise the oil industry for the environmental and social impacts it has generated on the local and global level, and initiate legal proceedings so that degraded ecosystems can be restored and affected populations indemnified.

7. Democratically develop and use energy that is clean, decentralised, renewable, and low impact.A small group of individuals or a community can also try to achieve energy sovereignty by developing their own energy sources “off the grid” and sharing power amongst themselves. (link to section of show: 37:49-38:31)